Commencement Booklet

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP

Wayne J. Riley, M.D. is the 17th president of The State University of New York (SUNY), Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate). Dr. Riley is a distinguished physician, academician, clinician-educator, and administrator who is also a tenured Professor of Medicine and of Health Policy and Management.

Dr. Riley has worked to achieve high levels of excellence across Downstate’s multiple enterprises, which includes academic, healthcare, and research. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. He also earned the Bachelor of Arts in anthropology with a concentration in Medical Anthropology from Yale University, a Master of Public Health degree in health systems management from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. Immediately prior to joining Downstate, Dr. Riley served as clinical professor of medicine and adjunct professor of healthcare management and health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He was the 10th president and chief executive officer at Meharry Medical College. He began his career at Baylor College of Medicine, where he completed residency training in internal medicine and rose to vice president and vice dean for Health Affairs and Governmental Relations. During that time, he also served as assistant chief of the medicine service at Ben Taub General Hospital. Dr. Riley is an elected member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences where he served as Vice Chair and Chair of the NAM Section on Education and the Administration of Health Services. He is President Emeritus of the American College of Physicians. Other significant posts and memberships include: President of the Society of Medical Administrators, member of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, the Sullivan Alliance to Diversify the Health Professions, the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities as well as many other professional, civic and community organizations. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2021 National Medical Humanism Medal from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, election to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Arnold P. Gold Medical Humanism Honor Society, and the Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society. He was awarded the SUNY Downstate Ailanthus Award for Outstanding Public Health Leadership and holds honorary degrees from SUNY Downstate, Tuskegee University, and Mount Saint Joseph University. Dr. Riley has served as a Commissioner of the U.S. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). He was also appointed as one of the four co-chairs of the New York City COVID Recovery & Health Equity Task Force by Mayor Eric Adams. Dr. Riley’s current corporate board service includes serving as an Independent Director of HCA Healthcare, Compass Pathways, plc and HeartFlow, Inc.